Killswitch Engage: Ethics in Game Design

Armin Lippitz

Jump to Content

Chapter 6 Killswitch Engage: Ethics in Game Design

In: Culture at Play: How Video Games Influence and Replicate Our World

Author:

Armin Lippitz

Armin Lippitz
Search for other papers by Armin Lippitz in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed

Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 60–68

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004439788_008

Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

€42.00€35.00 excl. VAT

Add to Cart

Redeem Access Token

Abstract

Videogames are ‘ethical objects’ (Sicart, 2009, 4) and therefore constitute an excellent medium through which to teach users about ethics and ethical behaviour. Specifically, the interactive nature of videogames makes them effectively more powerful for immersive and emotionally engaging experiences (Sylvester, 2013; Sicart, 2013). As a result, the impact of ethically or morally questionable choices in a game is increased. This leads to the question of how such choices can be incorporated in videogames, and in which ways ethically or morally questionable choices can affect players? Crucial elements for meaningful choices are agency and significant feedback, so the ‘rigidity’ or ‘elasticity’ (Schallegger, 2016, p. 43–44) of a game’s system plays an important role. To what degree, however, does the game’s design influence players’ decisions? Put another way, how are game designers pushing their players into certain directions or actions, and how much leeway are the players given to push back? Additionally, it is important to consider how game designers invite people to make ethical decisions and teach players about ethical behaviour. To answer these questions, I conducted an in-depth analysis of Life is Strange (Dontnod Entertainment, 2015) focusing on design elements which have the potential to elicit ethically cognizant responses and consider the degree of elasticity in the game’s system with regard to moral and ethical choices, and their impact. I will show how the developers of Life is Strange purposefully disrupt players’ immersion to maximise emotional impact and invite critical reflection on moral and ethical decisions.

Citation Info

Save
Cite
Email this content

Share link with colleague or librarian

You can email a link to this page to a colleague or librarian:
Email this content
or copy the link directly:

https://brill.edhh.ma/abstract/book/9789004439788/BP000009.xml
The link was not copied. Your current browser may not support copying via this button.

Link copied successfully

Collapse
Expand

Culture at Play: How Video Games Influence and Replicate Our World

Series: At the Interface / Probing the Boundaries, Volume: 134

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004439788

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 06 Nov 2020

Subjects

Front Matter

Back Matter

Metrics

	All Time	Past 365 days	Past 30 Days
Abstract Views	1365	178	25
Full Text Views	29	6	0
PDF Views & Downloads	23	8	0

African Studies	Education	Media Studies
American Studies	History	Middle East and Islamic Studies
Ancient Near East and Egypt	Human Rights and Humanitarian Law	Musicology
Art History	International Law	Philosophy
Asian Studies	International Relations	Religious Studies
Biblical Studies	Jewish Studies	Slavic and Eurasian Studies
Biology	Languages and Linguistics	Social Sciences
Book History and Cartography	Life Sciences	Theology and World Christianity
Classical Studies	Literature and Cultural Studies

Subjects

Authors

Open Access

Product Information

Company

Contact

Chapter 6 Killswitch Engage: Ethics in Game Design

Abstract

Citation Info

Share link with colleague or librarian

Culture at Play: How Video Games Influence and Replicate Our World

Table of Contents

Metrics

Metrics